Cheatham was arrested and extradited from Arizona days after the fire.

Cheatham's defense attorney Andrew Kendall said Friday that he was disappointed in the sentence, instead hoping for probation.

Kendall claimed his client was only starting a fire in an effort to stay warm. In a court document, Jordan Cheatham told arson investigators he'd gotten into a fight with his brother, Kevin Cheatham, in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, and Kevin Cheatham left the house and was missing until about 5 a.m. when he was found outside a trailer park about a quarter mile from the fire.

"I don't think he intended at all to burn the place down," Kendall said. "The thing is a tragedy. He feels tremendous remorse for what has transpired."